A Budget Smart Good Buy

One food I always think’s a good buy is fish. And this time of the year it’s an even more of a bargain. Two reasons-Lent and Frozen Food Month. During March I stock up on lots of items like fish sticks, canned tuna, frozen cod and salmon, stick it in the freezer or pantry and use it throughout the coming months. Besides being a good price there are lots of reasons to like this budget smart good buy-

Perfect Speedy Meal

I have about ten favorite desperation dinners as I call them. Meals that can be ready in less than 30 minutes and at least half of them are fish dishes. It’s easy to defrost and simple to cook too.

Freezes Well

Even if you cook a fish meal ahead of time you can freeze it for later. Just about any type of fish freezes well too.

Variety

There are more varieties of fish than I’m sure most of us can name so you never get bored. It’s also great to take a recipe and try a different type of fish for a change.

It’s Good For You

In moderation, fish is a good food choice. Many years ago I wrote an article about Omega-3 and how most of us don’t get enough of it in our diets. Salmon is one of the best sources and canned salmon is on my list of budget buys.

It Makes Any Kind of Meal

Best thing about fish is you can make a hearty dinner with it, use it as a filling for a sandwich, or even a light salad on a hot summer’s day.

Favorite Fish Recipes

Some of my favorite stand by recipes include, salmon fish cakes…I always use crackers now instead of mashed potatoes as I think, one, they taste better and two, they hold together much better which makes freezing them easier too. I sometimes make tuna pot pies. I have made them with salmon too and puff pastry is really good with it. Salmon quesadilla are easy as well. Fish sticks often get turned into tacos. I sprinkle on taco seasoning before I cook them. I’ve even tried using cod with some taco seasoning and lime juice added which is really good. Top it with coleslaw and it’s a quick and easy meal.

One of my favorite sandwiches for a light supper is salmon and cucumber. The combination is great and perfect for the summer.

Fish chowder are also easy to put together. In the summer and when it’s too hot to cook I often make gazpacho soup and add shrimp so it’s more of a meal.

Fish Recipes

Here is a recipe I recently found on a UK site-

http://www.allaboutyou.com/food/italian-fish-linguini-recipe/recipe

I actually made this other night because I was short on time and thought what’s quicker than fish and pasta for dinner? I didn’t have any red wine so I used vegetable stock. I think you actually need more than the recipe states so if you try it, double it. I used the tilapia but next time I’d opt for the cod. I didn’t have linquini on hand so used spaghetti instead. While I was making it I thought it might work with canned tuna too. Plus, next time around I’d use more olives.

I also found this on another UK site, ten classic fish dishes-

http://www.redonline.co.uk/food/10-best/10-best-classic-fish-dishes

And if you missed my salmon chowder recipe the first time, here it is again

 

(Serves 4-6)

1 tablespoon oil

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups diced peeled potatoes

1 cup sliced carrots

1 teaspoon of fresh dill or ½ tsp. Dried dill

1 can (14 ½ oz.)  chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup corn

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

Leftover ingredients-

Salmon—I used a leftover salmon steak from a previous dinner. It was probably about 1 cup of salmon, a 7 ½ oz. can of salmon could probably be used to0, maybe two if you wanted more salmon in the chowder.

Green Beans—I used about ½ cup chopped cooked green beans.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, sauté the onion until softened, add the garlic, carrots, celery and potatoes and stir together, sprinkle in the dill and add the chicken or vegetable broth. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the corn, green beans and then gradually stir in evaporated milk. Gently stir in salmon and heat through.

Serve with bread or crackers.

Coupons

One site I always check for coupons is Gortons-

http://www.gortons.com/coupons_promotions.htm